Jean Vanier Wins Templeton Prize

March 18, 2015.

Questscope congratulates Jean Vanier, recipient of the 2015 Templeton Prize. The esteemed award honors a living person who has made an exceptional contribution to affirming life's spiritual dimension, whether through insight, discovery, or practical works. Vanier is the founder of L’Arche International, a global network of residential communities in which people with and without disabilities share their lives.

 Vanier is a longtime friend of Questscope, and mentor who has inspired our team and our work with disadvantaged youth. He emphasizes empowerment and healing through...MORE

Hand-in-hand....to pray.

February 24, 2015.

No words can describe my feelings about what happened to Muath, our Jordanian pilot. I had two distinct pains when I saw the video. The first pain was that of seeing a human being burned alive inside a metal cage. The second pain was that of seeing a Muslim burned alive ostensibly in the name of Islam.

Those who killed the pilot believed that after the video of burning Muath was broadcast, Jordanians would start burning Jordan in response. On the next day at noon, when people were going to pray for Muath, I was walking to the mosque during the call to prayer. At...MORE

No Lost Generation

February 17, 2015.

 Not only war and displacement can create a violent generation but also isolation would enhance the chances of creating at risk youth and socially alienated girls and boys.       

 No Lost Generation is the name of the new project Questscope is working on, in cooperation with Mercy Corps, mentoring around 200 Jordanian and Syrian Children, in 2 cities in Northern Jordan.

 Labeled as violent or socially alienated, would only make it harder for these boys...MORE

Light on the Horizon

February 17, 2015.

For many of the estimated 100,000 Jordanian youth who have dropped out of school, the choice to leave school was not much of a choice at all. Lack of support in the school led to underperformance led to a kind-of choice to leave. Outside school, more frustration and struggle to survive led to desperation - where to go, who to turn to? Once out of the "system," the doors slam on opportunities for better academic and professional futures.

For Syrian refugee youth in Jordan, there was even less of a choice. In fact,...MORE

The Story & the Glory: Reducing Youth Radicalism & Violence in the Middle East

January 26, 2015.

Questscope founder Dr. Curt Rhodes talks to Creative Associates about reducing youth radicalism and violence in the Middle East:

In a world gone awry in war and conflict, with few economic opportunities and degradation of social networks, youth are radicalized and sustained in their radicalization through their relationships: the way into radicalization is through relationships.

But so is the way out.

Every person has a story. Taking time to listen and elicit someone’s story is...MORE

A Safe Place

January 13, 2015.

In moments of stress and tragedy, we look for a safe place. For Amer, 16 years old, that safe place used to be his school and his home in Syria.

 When his family left Syria to come to Jordan’s Zaatari camp, those safe places were ripped away from him one by one. He was not able to go to school. His father had been injured and lost his brother in the war. The stress his family felt was redirected toward him, and Amer was confined to home and often abused. His home, the only place he could go, was no longer a safe place at all.

 Amer used to love to study,...MORE

Reflection on 2014

December 8, 2014.

The close of a year usually causes us to reflect on the past. Where have we been? What have we done?

For 9 million Syrians who have lost homes, education and family, the tendency would seem to be to look back—to long for the past, and all that was. When an emergency becomes a prolonged crisis, such as in Syria, the greatest need is for a response that helps the most vulnerable...MORE

Rawan's Story: Strength, Healing, Rebuilding

November 23, 2014.

When is enough, enough?

For Rawan, a 14-year-old Syrian refugee, you could say enough was enough when she had to leave behind her school, her friends, and her home in Syria. She had just completed 8th grade and had the world at her fingertips.

Rawan’s mother led the family of four girls and two boys into Jordan. Alone. Their father had to stay behind in Syria. Instead of hanging out with friends and going to school like most teenagers, Rawan was left with a heavy burden of chores and the responsibility of caring for her siblings.

Feeling trapped,...MORE

Thoughts from Curt Rhodes

November 23, 2014.

I’ve been spending a lot of my time lately with college students. During recent conversations at city pubs and coffee shops in Boston, I couldn’t help but think: young people have a lot of energy.

Their energy is wrapped up in many different areas. Channeled appropriately, it can change the world. The same holds true for young people in the Middle East—and there are a lot of them. No doubt, they have energy. The question is: how will they use it?

Youth in the Middle East are one of the most marginalized populations....MORE

Pages